Twisted: The Story of Kickback (Story 3)
by Steve the Vehicon
Summary: The mutated Tailslide, now going by the name of Kickback because of his new, Insecticon appearance, finally reunites with his Autobot friends. However, the trauma he has faced since they last met, coupled with his new, uncontrollable Insecticon instincts, has left him on the verge of disrepair and madness. What's more, his clone, Lugnut, will stop at nothing to see his destruction.
1. Chapter 1: Lost and Confused

Chapter 1: Lost and Confused

After several cycles of running down the multiple corridors, I finally decided to stop and catch my breath.

**"****What... What's happened to me, me, me?"** I said to myself. **"And why do I sssound weird?"**

Suddenly, I heard footsteps from behind the corner in front of me. I looked around and saw a door near where I was standing and dashed into it, closing it once I got through.

I waited in breathless silence for the footsteps to pass and leave, and when they finally did, I decided to think about what to do next.

_What happened to me?_ I thought, looking at my body's new features, and how I felt immensely different. My armor, originally a dull purple, was now bright purple, with lots of green in areas as well.

_My arm... My leg... They both grew back! _I thought, a mix of surprise and happiness in my mind._ And... So did my optic..._ I noticed once I realized I was looking through both of them, and not just one.

I also noticed I had two more servos attached to my back, each one pincer-looking in appearance.** "Did Ssshockwave do thisss?"** I asked myself. I then looked at both my arms and saw small spikes sticking out of the side of both of them. Close combat tools, perhaps? My legs also had small jags sticking from the back of them.

I noticed my feet had two prehensile digits on the front of each foot, and one in the back, very different from my original boot-like feet. I also had what felt like two antennae on both sides of my head, and they kept twitching in varying directions.

Once I finished checking myself out, I thought back to how the last thing I remembered was getting caught in an explosion, then waking up in water, then waking up in Shockwave's lab. **"Who was that big purple guy there with him, him, him?" **I wondered, thinking back to the hulking, one-eyed mech that tried to scrap me.

**"****How wasss I able to open up that lummox's grip? Am I that ssstrong now, now, now?"** I said again.

**"****Grrr... None of that mattersss"** I hissed, trying to get my thoughts set on escaping. _I lived on this ship once_ I thought. ._..And if I'm not mistaken, the hangar area should be just a few more rooms down from where I am now..._

I opened the door and looked both ways down the hall, and seeing nothing, I decided to emerge from my hiding spot and ran down the correct direction.

After a few more cycles of running, I had to stop again. Looking around a corner, I saw two Vehicons guarding the door to the hangar. _Scrap!_ I yelled in my mind. _Now what?_

I looked around, but there were no other ways to get in. _Well, guess there's no other choice..._ I thought, angrily, as I put my only available option in motion.

I calmly walked around the corner, toward the door. It took the Vehicons a second, but they soon saw me, and stared.** "Hey... Guysss"** I began to say, almost awkwardly.

_Primus, if you let this work, I'll never ask for anything, ever again! _I thought as I continued walking. **"Did you two hear about that experiment on the loose, loose, loose?"**

They both looked at each other, then back to me. **"Who in Primus are you?"** One of them asked.

**"****I'm... Tailssslide" I stammered. "I'm, uh, new here! Here, here..."**

I was within arm's distance of them when they both drew their blasters on me.

**"****You match the description of the experiment!" **One of them yelled, accusingly.

I growled, and now with no other options, I lifted my leg and kicked the Vehicon to my right in the chest, sending him smashing into the wall. Before his unconscious mass could even land on the ground, I tripped the other, forcing him to land on his servos and knees.

He groaned as he tried to get back up, but I punted him in the stomach before he even had the chance, sending him flying almost to the ceiling!

He landed back on the ground with a loud, echoing thud, clutching his stomach in agony, coughing up energon like a geyser.

**"****Ssso... I can kick really hard?"** I asked myself.** "Good to know, know, know..."**

I ran past the two helpless guards and entered the hangar, looking for a way off the ship, but to my disappointment, no vehicles were presently docked in the large area. Just a handful of Vehicons roaming about.

_Great. Just great. How am I supposed to get out of here if I can't change form?!_ I wondered, kicking the wall in anger.

Then a crazy thought came to mind. **"Wait... If I regrew my entire body, maybe my T-cog regrew as well!"** I nearly screamed in my new, high-pitched voice, attracting the attention of a nearby Vehicon.

**"****Ah, scrap, scrap, SCRAP!" **I shouted, pointing my arm instinctively in the direction of my enemy, expecting a blaster to pop out.

**"****Wait a minute... If my T-cog isn't working, I DON'T HAVE BLASTERS!"** I yelled out, in panic, as a handful of Vehicons pointed _their _blasters at me.

Then I felt a change happening in my left arm, and as I looked at it, I saw my upper arm and servo transform!

_What's this? _I wondered as I ducked behind the wall when the Vehicons began shooting and yelling at me._ I've never seen a blaster like this before... _I thought, as my arm fully transformed into a unique-looking blaster, complete with multiple, small, gatling gun-like barrels leading to one long one on the front of my arm.

I decided to test it out on the Vehicons when I popped back up from my cover, pointing my blaster at the nearest one. As soon as I did so, purple beams of energy began flying out at a rapid speed, akin to a Cybertronian sub-machine gun. The energy beams went in varying directions, most of them not hitting at all, but the sheer quantity of the shots allowed a few to hit three of the Vehicons, instantly deactivating them.

**"****That's neat, neat, neat!"** I said cheerfully as I turned to hide behind the corner again, but I slammed into a large object instead. Dazed, I tried to see what it was, but I felt a servo wrap around my waist before I could even look up.

When I was raised higher, I got a better look at my assailant. It was that big purple mech from before!

**"****For the future of the Decepticon race, I will destroy you!"** He said in a deep, malevolent voice as he raised his other servo in a fist. Before he could punch my lights out, I raised one of my free legs and kicked his chin, sending him off-balance with a groan, clumsily crashing into the nearby wall.

His grip held firm though, and when he got up, he growled and threw me flying across the hanger, eventually sliding onto the ground with a loud screeching of metal, only stopping once I regained my footing and braked with my feet.

**"****Who in Primus are you? You? You?"** I yelled to him. He jumped from his perch and landed a few dozen meters from me with a loud, earthshaking crash, making me almost go off-balance.

**"****I am Lugnut!"** He began. **"I am your clone, your better, and, now, your destroyer!"**

With that, he charged me, no holding back on momentum, leaving me with a fraction of a nano-klik to dodge. The only option I had was up.

Relying on my powerful legs, I bent on my knees, and jumped with my full strength, soaring past the rampaging Lugnut, and hitting the ceiling.

I latched onto the ceiling like a bug. I let go with one arm and looked down at the frustrated Lugnut. He looked up at me.

I crawled into another position from my perch, activated my sub-machine blaster again with my free arm, and began firing at him with great enthusiasm in my mid.

**"****Hahahaha! You're too big to dodge my shots!"** I laughed insanely. I continued this for a few nano-kliks until I eventually realized, in horror, that all my shots were bouncing off him instead of harming him.

I slowly stopped firing upon this discovery, and the entire room went silent. I looked around, awkwardly, as Lugnut smirked at my failure to harm him.

**"****Time to die, bug"** Lugnut said threateningly, as he reached his servo out toward a nearby Vehicon.

**"****Hey, what are y-" **the Vehicon shouted in a mix of fear and confusion as he was grabbed and picked up by the mech.

**"****Catch!" **Lugnut roared as he threw the screaming Vehicon at me. I was barely able to scramble out of the way as the living missile crashed next to me, then fell back down to the ground where it crashed again.

I seized the opportunity to leap at Lugnut. I jumped from the ceiling as hard as I could, spun my body around, and thrusted my left leg forward, aiming for his head.

The brute had barely any time to react as my foot came hurling into his face, impacting directly on his central optic with great force. I heard a cracking noise, and a cry of anger as Lugnut stumbled back a step. His arms began rising above his head, and hurtled down on my body.

The air was knocked out of my intake as I collided with the ground, making me clutch my stomach in pain.

As I took in a breath, my antennas began pointing upward, drawing my attention, and I saw Lugnut's foot raised in the air, about to step on me. I used what little strength I had to avoid it, rolling backwards, and dodging his attack as it slammed into the ground.

I was able to stand up, and saw the growling Lugnut, now with a good-sized crack in his cyclopean optic, raising his right arm, which began transforming.

I saw it morph into some little, red, pulsating button that he held over his head. **"I'll kill you if it's the last thing I do!"** He bellowed.

**"****Run! Get out of here!" **A Vehicon began ordering to the others. I turned and saw them try to flee. **"He's gonna use the punch!"**

I turned back to Lugnut.** "What in Primus are you doing? What's going on, on, on?!"** I screamed at him.

**"****Killing you!"** He replied, punching his button-fist into the ground.

An explosion sounded and enveloped me, knocking me back. I barely had time to see Lugnut fall into a large, newly-formed gaping hole in the ground, just before I, too, began feeling pulled in by it.

**"****SCRAP!"** was all I was able to scream as I was sucked from the ship, and thrown into the cold night sky.


	2. Chapter 2: Rescue

Chapter 2: Rescue

I felt the sheer terror of panic, and the coldness of the night air as I fell. I looked around, but all I saw were dark clouds just beneath where I was, stars above me, and the fading image of the Decepticon ship. I didn't see Lugnut anywhere, thankfully.

I managed to calm down and got my body into a falling position, with my arms and legs outstretched. _Oh Primus, what do I do now?_ I repeatedly asking myself in my head. Then another thought entered my head as I fell into the clouds.

_Wait... If my blasters worked back on the ship, does that mean my T-cog works?_

I had no idea what my alternate form would be, or if it even was something that could fly. I had no choice.

I closed my optics and tried to activate it like I did my original form, and soon enough, I could hear the whirring sound of the T-cog shift, and I felt the parts of my body move in different ways.

I could feel my legs turn backward and change in mass, going from being normal sized and thick, to longer and thinner. The extra servos on my back changed into what felt like wings, and my two arms were pulled closer to my body and split in half. My head also shifted in position, bending downward.

When I opened my optics, I looked around and saw that I was still falling. However, when I looked at my back, I saw that the the two new wings I got had two thin slivers of energy acting like wing membranes. I tried flapping them, and soon enough, I saw them beat at an extreme speed, going up and down hundreds of times in just one nano-klik, leaving a thin buzzing sound.

As I passed the clouds, my wings caught me, and I stopped falling. I then began flying forward at a fast speed, looking at the rest of my body while I escaped the Decepticon ship's range. I saw that my forearms had changed into four, small, insect-like limbs on the front of my body, while my legs shifted into a longer, backwards version of themselves. I also saw that my body turned into a long thorax and abdomen, akin to an insect.

**"****I'm free, free, free!"** I cheered in utter joy as I flew as fast as I could. My happiness didn't last long though, because no sooner had I finished cheering, an explosion sounded next to me.

I looked over my shoulder and saw a very large plane following me. I saw a flash come from it, and I heard another explosion sound next to me. He was shooting missiles at me!

I quickly realized from the purple color scheme that it was Lugnut.

I dropped in altitude as fast as I could, wings beating furiously, as I tried to lose the slower aircraft. He only accelerated in speed.

We came close to a snow-covered mountainside, and I passed near the top of it, only to be hit by a blast of rock and fire as Lugnut shot a missile at it.

I recoiled in a flinching action as the explosion from it sounded next to my audio receptors. I looked desperately for another direction to head in, and down the mountainside, I saw a large forest.

I attempted to fly down to it, in an effort to lose the behemoth, but as I grew closer to the woods, I felt a sudden and agonizing pain in my abdomen following an explosion from behind me.

My body went limp in shock as it plummeted diagonally from the sky. I crashed into the trees just before I could regain control, and I slid, painfully, across the forest, leaving a large trail of upturned snow, and crushed and broken trees in my wake.

As I came to a stop, I transformed back to my main state again, and lied on my back, hand laying on my damaged side. I had no time to rest, as I heard a thundering sound near me, shaking the ground I was on.

I looked up and saw Lugnut standing above me, cracked optic glaring in menacing silence.

**"****Nowhere left to run..." **He growled as he reached arm down and grabbed me by the throat with his thumb and index finger. I squirmed as he lifted me up. My legs were free, but he was holding me away from anything I could kick. He began choking me, and all I could was struggle and claw at his servo in vain. "Please... Don't..." Was all I was able to gasp.

He smiled when I began to black out. Just as bright colors began to flash in my optics, I heard a familiar sound, accompanied by a flash of green coming from behind Lugnut. Before I knew it, his grip loosened, and I regained full consciousness again, throwing me into a coughing fit.

I was barely able to look over Lugnut's shoulder, and saw a sight that nearly made me weep in joy. The green flash was a groundbridge portal, and out of it, two familiar shapes emerged, one small, blue, and feminine, the other large and green.

It was Arcee and Bulkhead.

**"****Autobot filth!"** Lugnut roared as he turned around, dropping my coughing, wounded body on the ground, as if forgetting about me.

**"****Tailslide, listen to us!"** Arcee said, as I heard her and Bulkhead draw their blasters. I looked up to her, but she was facing Lugnut, not me.

**"****I know you're in there! Whatever the Cons did, they-" **She was cut off mid-sentence by Lugnut, who burst into booming, sarcastic laughter.

**"****I'm not the "Tailslide" of who you speak!" **He chuckled, turning to me again.

I saw his servo reach out to me, and grabbed me by my waist as I tried to crawl away. He lifted me up in front of the two Autobots.

**"****THIS is the abomination you're searching for!" **He yelled.

Arcee and Bulkhead looked at each other, confused.** "What are you saying?"** Bulkhead suddenly piped in as I looked up at them, weakly. **"Who the heck is that?"**

**"****As I found out, not too long ago..."** Lugnut started. **"I am a clone of your pitiful friend, here."**

He threw me on the snow covered ground, and lifted his foot up, as if to step on me.

**"****Now, WATCH YOUR FRIEND D-"** He was cut off as the sound of a blaster hitting him rang out, knocking him off balance.

With a groan of pressured metal on the one leg he was standing on, he fell backwards into the snow. No sooner had that happened, I heard a battle-roar coming from Bulkhead, and he jumped over me, leaping onto the fallen Lugnut. **"Nobody hurts my friends and gets away with it!" **He shouted in anger as he began trying to punch him.

I tried to pull myself up, but my body was still injured from the missile shot, so I strained heavily, clutching my wound. As I was about to fall again, Arcee's servo grasped my arm, and she helped me up, slinging one of my arms over her shoulder.

**"****Let's get you home"** she said gently as she helped me toward the portal.

**"****Th-thank you, Arcee... Cee... Cee..."** I managed to whisper through my sore throat.

The last thing I heard before we went through was the sound of trees snapping, and metal bashing together as Bulkhead and Lugnut continued to brawl with each other.


	3. Chapter 3: Return Home

Chapter 3: Return Home

My head was facing downward when Arcee and I exited the portal, but my antennas began to act up just before I felt another servo lay on my other arm. I looked up and saw the concerned, albeit familiar face I quickly recognized belonged to Ratchet.

**"****Who's this?" **He asked Arcee, confused about me, I presume.

**"****Ratchet... It's Tailslide. The real one"** Arcee responded. Ratchet gave me a look of shock as I smiled, weakly.

**"****I'll get him to sick bay, and... Wait where's Bulkhead?" **He asked. **"He's fighting Lugnut"** Arcee said as she handed me off to the medic. **"I should get back and help him."**

As she turned to the portal, I tried to get out of Ratchet's grasp to rejoin her. **"Lugnut... He's too ssstrong to fight with just yourselves, selves, selves..."** I said, pleadingly as I limped up to Arcee. **"Either I go too, or you call Bulkhead back before one of you getsss deactivated."**

Arcee turned to me, a stern look on her face.** "Tailslide... You need to get to the sick bay, now. Me and Bulkhead will be fine" **She said, reassuringly.

I stood there and sighed as she turned and ran through the portal. I looked back at Ratchet. **"How long have I been... Gone for?" **I asked. **"Six months"** he replied as he wrapped my arm around his shoulder, and started carrying me to the med lab.

**"****You've sure changed a lot"** he said as we reached our destination a few cycles later. **"The others told me you were Lugnut, but I guess that was a mistake..."**

**"****Yeah, Lugnut, THAT guy. He told me he was a clone of me, me, me"** I said as he placed me down on a seat.

**"****Knock Out will be with you in a nano-klik"** Ratchet said as he turned to leave. **"I need to go check on the groundbridge" **he said as he ran out the door, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

I looked around the familiar environment I was once hospitalized in before. Aside from some new pieces of tech in a few places, it looked the same as it was when I last was in it.

After a cycle of waiting, my antennas perked up and began pointing behind me. I turned and saw the white and silver form of Wheeljack standing in the doorway, on the other side of the room, looking at me in surprise.

We both stared at each other for what seemed like forever, and during that time I noticed his right arm was in a metal cast.

**"****Who are you, Con?" **He asked me in a grumpy tone as he noticed the insignia on my chest.** "You a prisoner of war?"**

**"****I-it's me! Tailssslide!" **I stuttered. As soon as I said that, his face briefly turned into one of confusion, followed by a change into a smile.

**"****Hah!"** He laughed as he walked up to me. **"I knew you couldn't have been that giant lug!"**

He placed his good servo on my shoulder. **"You certainly look different. What in Primus happened to you?"** He asked.

**"****All I remember is getting caught on that ship's explosion, then waking up in Ssshockwave's lab looking like... This, this, this"** I replied.

**"****That's quite a little tic you got there"** he said again, noticing my speech pattern. **"And that's quite a cassst you have"** I said in response, looking at the metal fiber covering his arm.

**"****Yeah, heh. About that..."** He began. **"Lugnut sort of... Tore it off when-"**

**"****Wheeljack, who are you talking to?" **A voice said, coming from the doorway behind Wheeljack, cutting him off.

I looked over his shoulder and saw some red-looking bot enter the room. I couldn't put my finger on it, but he looked very familiar.

**"****It's Tailslide!" **Wheeljack said excitedly to the bot, turning to face him as he said so.** "The real one! Can't you believe he survived that explosion?"**

**"****Tailslide?" **The bot said in surprise.** "He's here?"**

Wheeljack moved out of the way, showing me to the red bot. **"Who are you?"** I asked. He beamed at me.

**"****Wait... You don't remember me?" **He said in a bit of a shout, stunned look on his face.

**"****No... Ssshould I?"** I asked, confused.

"I... I'm Knock Out!" He said, expression changing to an impatient one. **"I'm that guy you kept calling a traitor when we last met? Remember?"**

I shot up the second he said that. **"You're a... Traitor?!" **I hissed at him, standing up from my seat.

He went back one step, nervously. **"N-no, not like that. I turned against the Decepticons and joined the Autobots!"** He said. **"You called me a traitor because you were still loyal to the Decepticons yourself!"**

**"****Now, calm down, Tailslide" **Wheeljack began, placing his good servo back on my shoulder. **"You probably have some amnesia from that explosion. I wouldn't be surprised."**

After a second more looking at Knock Out, I calmed down, and returned to my seat.** "I don't really think "Tailssslide is going to work out form me, anymore, more, more."** I said, quietly, as I looked down to the ground. **"It jussst doesn't seem fitting anymore."**

Knock Out approached me and scanned my wound.** "Well, you can pick a new name, if you want"** he began. **"How about... Er... "Shrapnel?""**

**"****Naw..."** Wheeljack said, a small chuckle coming from his voice. **"We should wait for the others to get back before we do something like that, and either way, Miko picked the last one. I'd think it'd be fitting if she did it again."**

**"****Miko..." **I said slowly as Knock Out finished scanning and got up, turning around to a nearby counter. **"That name sounds familiar..."**

**"****It appears your amnesia has affected you in more ways than we realize" **Wheeljack said, rubbing the back of his head with his good servo.

I looked at him. **"Was "Miko" my friend, or something?"** I asked.** "Yeah, she was"** Wheeljack said.

**"****If I can recall, she tried to teach you some things about earth culture before you got caught in that explosion"** Knock Out said as he brought a blue, gel-like substance to me. **"Now hold still, I've got to apply some of this to your wound."**

He began rubbing it on the gash in my side, and I cringed in pain. **"S-sso what happens after this?"** I asked the doctor.

**"****Oh, after this, I need to check your vitals, to make sure nothing on the inside is too badly scrambled" **he said calmly as he finished rubbing my gash.

**"****Say... If it's okay with you, do you think I could check your CNA while I'm at it, to make sure you're all fine with that? You look a LOT different then when we saw you last" **He asked again.

**"****Sssure" **I replied, nervously.** "And jussst ssso you know, I think I'm an Insecticon, now..."**

Wheeljack, who was just leaving the lab, turned and looked at me again. "What do you mean?" He asked, a hint of seriousness in his tone.** "Well..."** I began. **"When I was escaping the Decepticons, I sort of found out that I have some new abilities..."**

Knock Out looked at me as well, curiosity in his optics, before he turned. **"I'll be right back"** he said as he went out of the room from where he entered.

**"****What exactly are these "abilities?""** Wheeljack asked, approaching me again, voice deepening.

**"****Well, for ssstarters, I can walk on walls now..."** I continued, remembering my experiences on the Decepticon ship. **"My legs can let me jump really far, or kick really hard, and my new alternate form is... Er... A giant bug" **I finished, an awkward tone in my voice.

**"****By Primus..." **Wheeljack said, clenching his good servo in anger. **"What did Shockwave do to you..."**

Before he could lament further, Knock Out entered the room again, carrying a small syringe. **"Ah, I'm back!"** He exclaimed, fake excitement in his voice. **"Now, about that CNA sample..."**

**"****Jussst get it over with"** I asked, impatiently. He soon came up to me and plucked the needle point in my arm. I didn't feel much pain from it, but the thought made me feel a little queasy.

An unusual greenish-blue liquid filled up the small barrel, as opposed to the usual plain blue coloring of energon.

**"****How queer..."** Knock Out said as he looked at the substance, sloshing it around.

**"****Well, doc, you know anything about this stuff?" **Wheeljack asked as I began to rub my arm. **"No, nothing yet"** he replied. **"All I know is that this isn't pure energon... I'll have to get a closer examination of it when I get the chance."**

He turned to me.** "You're free to roam around the base, if you wish" **he said to me. **"Just don't do anything... Bad."**

**"****Hey, don't worry, doc" **Wheeljack said, voice raising in pitch again. **"I'll keep an optic on him. It's not like he's gonna begin tearing the place up and start laying eggs, right?" **He began chuckling

**"****Hehehe... Right?"**

* * *

><p><strong>Author's notes: <strong>Sorry about the delay! I had a bad case of the dreaded writer's block disease, but I've been cured with an inspired idea of how this story will go. Prepare for the next chapter sometime soon!


	4. Chapter 4: Reintroductions

Chapter 4: Reintroductions

As Wheeljack and I wandered down the hall from the lab, he was relaying to me the story of what happened to his arm.

**"****...Then that brute grabbed my arm, squeezed it almost into scrap, then tore it off!"** He said,

I looked at him with shock. **"How did they reattach it, it, it?"** I asked, curiously.

**"****Well, we recovered my arm, and they sent me back immediately. Ratchet and Knock Out managed to patch it up, but they said it won't fully heal for another few weeks..." **He said, head lowering.

**"****Say..."** He began again. **"Do you think you could transform into your alternate form? I want to see what it looks like."**

I sighed as we stopped walking. **"Okay, but I'm going to need sssome ssspace"** I said. He backed up.

I took a deep breath, and felt my T-cog begin shifting. I felt the parts of my body morph as I fully transformed into my alternate form.

When I finished, I looked around and saw that Wheeljack looked like he was above me, looking down, an impressed look on his face.

**"****Ssso... What exactly do I look like, like, like?"** I asked. He stared for a few more nano-kliks before answering.

**"****Well... You look like an Insecticon" **he mumbled. I let out a sigh, and we began walking again.

**"****Are you gonna change back?" **He asked.** "Not right now"** I replied as we neared a corner. **"I want to get used to this form. I wasn't when Lugnut attacked me, so I might as well now, to prepare."**

We went around the corner, and when I looked ahead, I saw Ratchet standing behind the controls for the groundbridge. He heard our approach, by the looks of it, because he lifted his head and spoke.

**"****Arcee and Bulkhead returned a little bit ago. They went with Bumblebee to get the kids from school"** he said as he began to turn around.

**"****They managed to give that Lugnut fellow a- WHAT THE?!"** He shrieked as he saw me. **"What in the Allspark is THAT?!"**

**"****Oopsss"** I muttered as I transformed into my normal form again.

**"****Oh... Oh thank Primus, it's just you..."** He said, taking a deep breath, clutching his chest. Wheeljack laughed heartily.

**"****Sssorry... I just wanted to get used to my new alternate form"** I apologized, sincerely.

**"****Why in Cybertron do you look like an Insecticon?" **He asked, still sounding shaken.** "It's a long ssstory..." **I replied. **"Mind if I change back, again? Again? Again?"**

**"****F-fine..."** He sighed, turning to the still-snickering Wheeljack as I transformed again. **"As I was saying before, Lugnut took a serious beating by Bulkhead and Arcee. We think they found his weakness, which is to say, his optic."**

**"****It wasss cracked because of me, me, me!" **I said, cheerfully. Wheeljack turned to me. **"You hurt that bot? Lugnut?"** He asked, surprised.

**"****Hurt is... A ssstrong word" **I said. **"All I did wasss get a good kick into his optic, and it cracked a little bit."**

**"****Bulkhead told me he saw the damage done to his optic, so he tried to inflict more on it" **Ratchet said. **"Suffice to say, he damaged him enough to cause him to flee."**

**"****Hah!" **Wheeljack laughed, throwing his fist in the air.** "I knew Bulkhead could beat him!"**

**"****Oh, and Wheeljack, I have more important news" **Ratchet continued as I began walking around, inspecting the room.** "I've just gotten news that the new recruit will be here in a few more orbital cycles."**

**"****Who's the recruit?" **I asked, antennas perking up.** "His name's Mirage" **Wheeljack replied. **"He's gonna be our covert-operations specialist."**

I transformed again and looked at Ratchet.** "It's going to be kind of awkward when the others get here, here, here" **I said, nervously. **"Knock Out told me I have some amnesssia, and I don't remember whoever that Miko perssson is."**

Ratchet looked at me, a concerned look on his face. **"We should take things slowly, and easily, then"** he said.

No sooner had he said that, a whirring sound began to echo throughout the base.

**"****Aww... Scrap! They're here!"** Wheeljack said. **"Sorry doc, but it looks like "slow" and "easy" will have to wait..."**

A blue motorcycle, a large green truck, and a yellow muscle car came down through the tunnel nearby and entered the room, each parking and transforming into the robotic forms I knew well.

Before they transformed, a human exited each one. The one that got off Arcee was tall, the one that got out of Bumblebee was small, and the one that jumped out of Bulkhead was a mix in size.

They each noticed me right off, looking directly at me. The middle-sized one, which I noticed was the only girl of the group, seemed to smile brightest of the three.

**"****Well... Here he is" **Arcee said, a hint of concern in her voice.** "He looks... ****_Different_****" **the girl said. **"Tailslide... Is that you?" **She asked, stepping forward.

**"****I-I'm... I'm not sure anymore... More... More..."** I said, going back a step. **"A-are you Miko?"**

**"****Yes"** she replied. **"Don't you remember me?"**

After a few nano-kliks of nervous stuttering, I lost my nerve and felt myself transforming. They all gasped when I finished.

I hastily leapt past them, down the tunnel they entered through, heading for the possible exit.

_Stupid, stupid, stupid!_ I thought as I took each jump, traveling hundreds of meters with each bound. _I don't remember her... Why? Why don't I remember my friends?_

I soon came across a giant, metal door in my way, closing me off from whatever was on the other side.

I turned around again and saw Arcee, Bulkhead, and Bumblebee approach me, running as fast as they could.

**"****Tailslide! Don't do it!" **Bumblebee yelled. I transformed again and held my back against the door.

**"****I'm not... I'm not... running away..."** I stuttered, letting my guard down in the process, and lowering my head.** "I jussst... I don't know how to react. I don't ****_remember_**** Miko."**

They each looked at me, then back to each other. **"Don't worry"** Arcee said, walking up to me. **"I didn't know you had any amnesia... We can take things slower, if you want."**

I looked up at her when she came up to me. **"It's okay... I jussst didn't know what to act like, like, like"** I said. **"I can try again, if ****_you_**** want."**

**"****If you think you're ready, you go for it"** Bulkhead said, smile appearing on his face.

**"****I'll do it. I think I know what to say now"** I said, confidently, as I started to walk in their direction. They joined me as we walked slowly down the tunnel.

**"****Sorry if we came on too strong"** Bumblebee began as we continued walking. **"We've all missed you since you've been gone. Arcee missed you the most."**

I quickly looked up at Arcee after Bumblebee said that. She did the same, but stared at the yellow bot instead, a look of mixed surprise, and annoyance on her face.

She punched Bumblebee, playfully, in the arm, and he began to chuckle a little. **"Okay, okay... Maybe Bulkhead missed you more"** he said again. Bulkhead laughed out loud as I lowered my head again.

**"****Yeah... Maybe I did" **Bulkhead said, laughter dying down. **"But really, you were brave for what you did back on that Insecticon ship. You deserved to be missed by all of us."**

As we neared the tunnel's exit, I could see the others, Miko and the other humans included, waiting. A relieved look on each's face.

I suddenly felt Arcee's servo rest on shoulder.** "Guys, I want to have a word with Tailslide... In private" **she said as I turned and looked at her again.

They both shrugged and continued on down, meeting up with Wheeljack, Ratchet, and the kids. Arcee waited until they were out of audio-receptor range before she spoke to me.

**"****Tailslide..." **She began, quietly, a stern look on her face. **"I never had the chance to thank you for saving my spark those six months back. Airachnid would have terminated me if you weren't there."**

**"****I couldn't bear to sssee you being tortured like that... That... That"** I said as she finished, thinking back to the horrid sight. **"I made sure Airachnid will never do anything like that, ever again."**

Silence came between us as we stared at each other. **"Well, anyways... Thank you"** Arcee said again, breaking it. Before I could do anything, Arcee reached out, and hugged me, compassionately.

**"****I'm so sorry that all this had to happen to you"** She apologized into my audio-receptor. **"I-it's okay..." **I replied, softly, as I began to hug her back. **"I don't care if I'm an Insssecticon now. As long as all you guys are sssafe, I think it was worth it."**

She started to let go of me, and I saw her begin smiling as we both stared into each other's optics. Before we could share the moment further, I heard a whistling noise coming from the other's direction.

I looked over and saw Wheeljack holding his servo to his mouth as he finished whistling, while the others began "awwing" and chuckling a little.

Arcee looked back at me, and we instantly let go of each other. Arcee straightened herself out while I looked away, slightly embarrassed.** "I'm going to get Wheeljack for this"** I heard her whisper to me.

We both began to walk back to them when we finished collecting ourselves. **"Thanksss for talking to me"** I managed to say before we parted. I saw her nod back.

I walked up to Miko, who had that smile back on her face.

**"****Hi, Miko"** I began. **"I may not remember you, but I would like to see if you can help jog my memory."**

**"****I was hoping you'd say that" **she replied.


	5. Chapter 5: Changes

It was the next day, and Bulkhead, Arcee, Miko, and I sat around the room near where the groundbridge was, thinking of a new name to give me. Bulkhead sat adjacent to me, Arcee sat on a box across from me, and Miko sat on a small couch on an area she climbed on with a ladder.

**"****How about Deepstrike?"** Bulkhead asked. I shook my head.

**"****Greenbug?" **Arcee asked after a few cycles of being silent. **"Nah..."** I said, shaking my head again.

**"****What about Mega-kicker?"** Miko said from the lofty perch she was standing on, beside me.** "Hmm... It sssounds okay, but not like sssomething I could stick with... With... With..."** I replied, lowering my head.

**"****That lisp and tic in your speech pattern... You should see Ratchet or Knock Out about that" **Arcee spoke up, concern in her voice. **"I did a little bit ago, ago, ago" I said to her. "Ratchet told me he'd get back to me when he found the caussse."**

**"****Ooh! I have an idea for a name!"** Miko piped in. **"I noticed that you looked an awful lot like a grasshopper when you transformed earlier. Maybe we should think of a name centered around that!"** she finished, enthusiasm in her voice.

**"****What's a grasshopper?"** I asked, scratching my head. **"They're a kind of bug that live here"** Miko replied.** "They have strong back legs which they use to kick things, and they can fly."**

**"****Sssounds like me" **I said.

**"****What about... Locust!" **Arcee said as she looked back at me. "Mmm... No." I replied.

**"****Katydid?"** Bulkhead asked.** "Uh-uh, no way! That sounds like a girls name!"** Miko almost shouted, shooting Bulkhead a glance. **"Well then..." **Bulkhead began, shooting a glance back at her. **"How about we think back to that Mega-kicker name you mentioned earlier?" **

**"****What about it?"** Miko inquired. **"Tailslide thought it was an okay name... Let's build up on it!" **Bulkhead replied, clashing his servos together. I could see Arcee let out a sigh and plant her face into her palm.

**"****Alright..." **I began.** "How doesss Drop-kick sssound?" **They all shook their heads in disapproval. **"Nah... sounds too much like a band I know of" **Miko said.

**"****Band?"** I asked, confused.

**"****Oh, they're a group of people that do music" **Miko said. **"I'm planning on forming one when I get older."**

I looked at the ground as we all went into deep thought again.** "Hmm... How about... "Kickback?"" **Arcee suddenly said. I beamed at her. **"That sssounds... Pretty good!" **I exclaimed.

**"****I like it" **Bulkhead said, smiling. **"Not bad... Not bad" **Miko said with a fake unimpressed look on her face. **"Well..." **Arcee began asking me again. **"Do you think you like that name?"**

**"****Yesss!"** I said, cheerfully. **"It's perfect, perfect, perfect!"**

**"****Well, alright then!" **Bulkhead said again, getting up from his seat, and began stretching. Miko started climbing down from her perch as he did so.

**"****Hey, "Kickback""** she said as she descended. **"Me and Bulkhead were planning on riding around outside for a bit. I know you've never been just outside here before, so what would you say if you were to come along and go sightseeing?"**

**"****Sssure"** I shrugged, still smiling over my new name. **"You may want to see Ratchet before you go"** Arcee spoke as she, too, got up from her seat. **"You know... Just to make sure it's okay."**

**"****Alright, I'll check in with him jussst before-"** I was cut off by a scream. I veered my head in surprise and saw Miko jumping back, staring at the ground in shock.

**"****Wh-what is it?" **I stuttered.

**"****Spider!"** She screamed, pointing to the ground.** "I hate those things!"**

I looked closely in front of her and saw an extremely small, black body with multiple legs scurrying around.

Seeing the little predator instantly brought to mind the memory of the horrible bot I had fought. The slick body, the extra appendages, the fangs, the sadistic pleasure it took in torturing and hurting others, the wretched laugh...

I felt something in me shift as I growled the monster's name out loud.

**"****Airachnid..."**

* * *

><p>It felt as though I was waking up. I began looking around wildly when I realized my arms were being held back. As I struggled, I turned immediately and noticed Bulkhead and Arcee were the ones holding onto my arms.<p>

**"****Wha... What's happening?!"** I cried out, looking at them both pleadingly.

**"****Kickback? You can hear us again?" **Bulkhead asked, in a slightly nervous tone. **"Of courssse I can!" **I yelled back **"What in Primus's name is going on?!"**

They loosened their grip when I started to stop struggling.** "Well? "What happened?" **I asked, angrily.

**"****You mean you don't know?" **Arcee asked. **"You just went absolutely berserk, and began smashing at the ground in front of Miko!"**

**"****You almost crushed her!"** Bulkhead continued.

**"****I... What? What? What?" **I stuttered. I turned my head to the ground in front of me and saw a deep, broad, broken hole in the cement, small pieces of rock surrounding it.

**"****Is... Is Miko okay, okay, okay?"** I asked, shaken by the story and sight. **"Y-yes" **Bulkhead replied as he and Arcee let go of me. **"She ran over there" **he pointed to a small figure slowly coming out of the corner.

**"****Kickback?"** She asked, anxiously. **"I'm... I'm here again"** I said, relieved.

**"****You really lost it there" **she said as she ran up to me.** "At... At least you got that spider!"**

**"****I'm ssso sssorry" **I said. **"For sssome reason, when I sssaw that ssspider, I thought back to... My fight with Airachnid."**

Arcee shot a look at me. **"You should... See Ratchet and Knock Out about that" **she said. **"I might not be a doctor, but the tic you have, combined with what you've described after what just happened sounds a lot like..."**

* * *

><p><strong>"<strong>**...Post Traumatic Stress Disorder" **Ratchet said as he walked away from me.

**"****I knew it..."** Arcee muttered under her breath as I stood there, saddened and shocked by the news.

**"****When you really think about it..."** Ratchet continued, **"It wouldn't be much of a surprise, considering all the scrap you went through. I'm sorry."**

**"****It's... It's okay, okay, okay" **I said as I lifted my head again. **"It's not your fault. It's... Airachnid's."**

**"****You shouldn't think about her"** Wheeljack said as he approached me from the corner of the lab.** "Back in my days as a Wrecker, one of our members also had it."**

**"****Really?"** I asked, surprised.

**"****Yeah..."** He continued.** "We were all in a large battle, on one of Cybertron's moons when it happened to him. Megatron himself appeared and did battle with us, and it all ended with his sister's death right in front of his very optic"** He said again, lowering his head as his voice grew lower.

**"****She was a rookie, and a bit of a hothead, trying to show us that she was truly worthy of joining the Wreckers... And she thought it was a good idea to fight Megatron, one-on-one, just to to prove it."**

I glanced over to him, worryingly, as he said that. He continued.

**"****...She didn't last a cycle in combat with Megatron before he... Decapitated her" **He gulped. **"He held her severed head up in his servo, above the battle, proclaiming how "weak" the Autobot cause was. That was the day her brother truly went offline."**

**"****What was his name? What was his name?"** I asked, sadness and curiosity in my voice.** "Whirl" **He replied.

**"****We may have ended up winning the day, but Whirl remained forever lost from then on. He was once the joker, prankster, and loudmouth of the group, always trying to be a comic, but after the battle, he changed. Shortly after being diagnosed with PTSD by a local medic, he became more brooding, violent, and downright hostile to most bots he met."**

Wheeljack took a break from talking as he began to fixate his arm cast again, before continuing. **"He... He distanced himself from us, and started hearing voices as his hatred consumed him further. However, this didn't last, because he went missing shortly afterword during our battle over the Sector Twelve space station. He stole a small cruiser in an effort to pursue Megatron's ship as it was escaping, and we presumed him deactivated when he didn't return."**

I lowered my head as he finished. **"I... I didn't know it could go that far... Far... Far..."** I said weakly.

**"****You just can't let it control you" **I heard Arcee's voice say as I turned by head in her direction. **"She's right"** Ratchet agreed, nodding his head.** "You just need to get it out of your head. Airachnid's gone, now. She will never torment any of us, ever again."**

**"****I guesss you're right"** I said, agreeing with them all. **"And I think I know where to start. Bulkhead and Miko are planning on going outssside and riding around in a little bit."**

I turned to Ratchet. **"Do you think it would be okay if I were join them out there, there, there?"** I asked him. **"It could give me a chance to ease my mind."**

He remained silent, in deep thought, for a few nano-kliks, before he gave me his answer.

**"****Yes... I'll permit it. But Bulkhead has to keep a good optic on you."**

**"****R-really? Yesss! Thank you!"** I nearly shouted, much joy in my voice. I could here Arcee giggle at my childlike response as I ran to the door to join Bulkhead and Miko who were waiting just outside it.

**"****Oh!"** I said out loud as turned again.** "Did you and Knock Out find out anything about my CNA yet?" **I asked.

**"****Oh, that?" **Ratchet began. **"No, not yet, but we're very close to finding something. All we know is that there is no dark energon in your spark.**

**"Well... That's good news"** I said, cheerfully. **"Do you think you could radio me in if you find anything else?"**

**"****We can try" **Ratchet said. **"Though, I'm surprised Knock Out has been this hard at work without sneaking off to street race. He must be really interested in this."**

I started to head out the door, but turned again. **"Pleassse tell Knock Out I said thanksss for doing this for me, me, me" **I said.

**"****And thank you too, Ratchet"** I said as I went out the door.


	6. Chapter 6: A Grand Day Out

Chapter 6: A Grand Day Out

I soared through the sky in my alternate form, going past many small hills, buttes, plateaus, mesas, and the sand in the desert. Aside from the constant buzzing noise from my wings, it felt free, and relaxing, just feeling the air brush against me.

**"****Okay, Kickback, that's far enough"** Bulkhead's voice sounded on my intercom. **"The city's nearby, and just one look from any of the people there could mean a whole mess of trouble for us."**

I looked around as he said that and say the outline of buildings in the distance just north of me.

**"****Sssure thing"** I replied to him. I changed my trajectory and began heading in the opposite direction, passing the same objects I saw when I originally began flying.

I soon came across a small plateau with a large tree on it, and I swiftly flew to it. I transformed when I reached it, and landed on its surface neatly, scattering sand, rock, and dust.

I looked over its edge and saw the small, round shape of Bulkhead in his truck form, riding on the road in the distance. I waved to it.

I turned around and looked from the other side of the plateau. All I saw was the bright blue sky, and below that, the vast, open desert, dotted with dozens more landmasses. I turned to the lone tree, laid my right servo on it, and leaned on it, relaxing my body as I did so.

**"****I love nature"** I whispered to myself as I looked over the horizon, before taking in a deep breath of the fresh air.

As I did so, though, I suddenly noticed a tickling feeling coming from underneath the servo resting on the tree. I was about to investigate it, when I suddenly felt a sharp, excruciating pain radiate from underneath it.

I yelped out and took my servo off the tree, looking underneath my palm to see what had happened. I saw a large, shiny, dark blueish insect with bright orange wings clinging to it, stinger impaled in the wiring directly in between the joints of my servo.

I angrily turned my other servo into a balled fist and brought it down on the bug. It was instantly crushed into a splatter of different parts. I rubbed the mush off on my armor, disgusted.

**"****Ssstupid nature..."** I muttered under my breath as I tried to massage my hurting servo, still in agonizing pain.

The pain, strangely enough, went away very shortly after, but it still felt numb. No sooner had that happened, Bulkhead's voice appeared on the Intercom again.

**"****Hey, Kickback, you okay? I just heard you scream like you just cut your leg off, or something."**

**"****I'm... I'm fine" **I said back, in a grumpy voice, looking at my servo. **"It was just a ssstupid bug. It ssstung me, me, me."**

**"****Ooh, Primus, that sounds awful" **he said on the other line. **"A bug that's able to sting you here... Either it got between your joints and had a ****_really_**** long stinger, or..."**

**"****Pleassse... Don't say anything further"** I pleaded.** "Alright"** he replied. **"You should at least come back down here so we can get a good look at it."**

**"****Fine"** I said as I looked over the edge for him again. As soon as I saw him, I bent down on my knees, and jumped as far and high as I could, soaring through the air, and transforming into my alternate form mid-flight.

I quickly, if not somewhat clumsily, flew down to Bulkhead's vehicle form, wings humming as the usually did.

When I reached him, I landed on sandy ground with a thud, spreading dirt everywhere. I shifted back into my normal mode and brushed sand off my joints.

**"****It hurt like you wouldn't believe... Believe... Believe..."** I mumbled as I approached him. I could see Miko inside the passenger seat waving at me.

She opened the door, and exited Bulkhead, jumping into the sand, and ran up to me.** "What did you get stung by?"** She asked, anxiously, as Bulkhead transformed into his normal form.

**"****Some skinny, dark blue bug with orange wingsss" **I replied. **"It had an equally long ssstinger, but I crushed the bug."**

She gasped as I said the insect's description. **"That sounds like a tarantula hawk wasp"** she said. **"Their stings are the definition of painful."**

**"****You think?"** I said back at her with a sarcastic laugh. **"Well... At leassst it went away fast" **I said again as I looked back to my numb servo.

**"****Mind if I see it?" **She suddenly asked. **"Fine..."** I said reluctantly, kneeling down and putting my servo forward. She walked up to it and began looking through the small joints of my palm.

**"****Aha!"** She exclaimed.** "What did you find, find, find?" **I asked, nervously. She reached her hand in and pulled something out of my palm that I didn't see before.

**"****What's that?"** Bulkhead asked. **"I think it's... A ****_stinger_****" **Miko replied, holding the small, thorn-like object up. **"I saw it sticking out of one of your fuel lines."**

I soon noticed the numbness I had been feeling had vanished as soon as she pulled the stinger out, and greenish-blue energon started to leak out of my palm in a small supply.

**"****Th-thanksss" **I said as I stood up again. **"No problem"** she replied.

I looked up to the sky and noticed it had started turning red since I last looked at it. **"It's getting late, late, late" **I said as I looked back at my two friends. **"I think I've had enough outssside time."**

**"****Yeah, me too"** Bulkhead said as he stretched his left arm. **"Miko, you ready to go back?" **He asked his human companion. **"Sure..." **She replied, still studying the stinger in her hand.

* * *

><p><strong>"<strong>**So... What do you guys wanna watch?"** Miko asked us as she, Bulkhead, and I picked out a movie to watch. Me and Bulkhead shrugged our shoulders.

**"****Let's see..." **She said, reviewing the pile of CD cases she had in front of her.** "We have ****_Armageddon_****... Pass" **she said as she placed the movie case in another pile. **"We have ****_The Black Cauldron_****... Nah. Hmm... ****_Lord of the Rings_****... No, too long. Ooh, we have ****_A Bug's Life_****..."**

She stopped looking at the case and looked toward me, a look of mixed decision on her face. **"What?" **I asked, confused.

**"****Oh, heh, nothing..."** She said, laughing nervously as she placed it in the pile of rejects before looking through the other pile again.

**"****Uh... Oh! I got it!" **She said as she picked up another movie.** "****_Terminator 2: Judgement Day_****!"** She exclaimed out loud, holding up a case with a picture of a human wearing sunglasses and a jacket, holding what appeared to be a gun.

**"****Uh... Miko? Do you really think he'd like that?"** Bulkhead asked in a concerned tone. **"Of course I'm sure!"** Miko replied. **"The first time I ever saw it I loved it. I bet you will too" **she said again, looking at me.  
><strong>"What's it about?" <strong>I asked. **"Oh, it's about a robot sent back in time to defend a boy and his mom from another, evil robot" **Miko said. **"It's a really good movie."**

**"****I'm up for it, it, it"** I said.** "Alright!" **She cheered, as she took the CD out of its case and put it in the player.

* * *

><p>The movie was great. I chattered my mandibles in excitement at times, laughed at others... It was a pleasant experience. I was saddened at how it ended so soon, and I looked at both my friends to see their reaction. Miko was sound asleep, Bulkhead was powered down.<p>

I chuckled to myself lightly before I quietly went up to the T.V. to shut it off. It took a few cycles, but its screen soon faded into nothing once I found the right button.

I walked out of the room as quiet as I could, and headed down the hall to my quarters. It was completely silent, until I heard the clanking of another bot's footsteps up ahead. My instincts told me to hide, but I knew better.

I continued walking, until I saw the figure step out from behind the corner. It was Arcee. She turned and faced me, a small surprised look on her face, as if she didn't expect to see me.

**"****Hey Arcee"** I said in a groggy voice. **"Hey, Kickback. How was the movie?" **She asked.** "It wasss great, great, great!" **I almost yelled** "Have you seen it before?"**

**"****What movie was it?"** She asked. **"Oh, it wasss, uh... Terminator 2!" **I said again. **"I've... never seen it"** she replied. **"I don't really watch movies."**

**"****Oh... You should sssome time. They're really good" **I said.** "Sssay... What are you doing out here?"** I decided to ask, curiously.

**"****That's the thing..."** She began. **"Ratchet told me to get you... Something about your CNA, and it... It doesn't sound good."**

I was drowsy from how late the time was, but as soon as she said that, I woke up fully. **"What?"** I sputtered. **"They found something?" "Yes" **She replied. **"And Ratchet said he wants to see you immediately."**

**"****You sssaid sssomething about it not being good..."** I said as we began walking toward the lab together. **"What does that mean? Did Ratchet tell you, you, you?"** I asked, a tone of nervousness coming into my voice.

**"****No... All he said was that you probably weren't going to like what he was going to tell you"** she replied.

After a cycle of walking, I decided to ask her another, more personal question.

**"****Arcee?"** I began. **"Do you think I should replace this Decepticon sssymbol with an Autobot one?"** I asked, pointing to the purple insignia on my chest. **"It's jussst that I've never heard of an "Insectibot" before."**

**"****Of course!"** She said, stoutly, shooting me a glance. **"We all know you're an Autobot now. If you're most comfortable with exchanging insignias, then you go for it."**

Her response eased my worry of the news I was to receive. **"Thanksss"** I said as I gazed into her optics. She looked back at me and smiled.

Before I could say anything further, I felt something in me that made me jerk forward, rapidly. I stopped walking, and let out a gasp as I fell to my knees, pain coming from inside me.

**"****Kickback?"** Arcee asked, worriedly, as she bent down and laid her servo on my shoulder. I began coughing, and I could feel something coming up into my throat.

I tried to let out another, disturbed cough, but bright, green liquid came vomiting forth out of my mouth instead. Energon.

It seeped all over the floor in front of me, staining the ground. My body began trembling as I looked up at it, then I looked back up to Arcee's confused and troubled face.

**"****Wh-what… In the Pit?" **I muttered weakly, energon dripping from my mouth. I suddenly felt my arms go limp, forcing me to fall to the ground as my vision went dark.


	7. Chapter 7: Bad News

Chapter 7: Bad News

**_"_****_Drone! Answer me!" _**A voice went off in the darkness of my thoughts. **"What? Who's there?" **I called out.

**_"_****_You can hear me?"_** The voice said again, faintly. **"Who's there?"** I called back again. **_"A fellow Insecticon, like you, brother"_** the voice answered back, in a rough voice.

**"****If I'm anything, I'm an Insectibot, and you're not my brother"** I said back to the voice. It laughed in a mocking way.

**_"_****_If you are not an Insecticon, or Decepticon, why do you wear our symbol?"_** The voice said again.** "H-how do you know that, that, that?" **I sputtered.

**_"_****_We are linked"_** It replied. **_"Ever since you became one of us, the hive mind has allowed me to read your every thought, but I've remained unable to contact you" _**it said again. **_"Until now, that is, and I am intrigued as to find out why."_**

**"****You're... You're lying!"** I yelled out. **"I'm not one of you!" ****_"You are one of us" _**it said again. **_"I know all about you... Kickback."_**

I was taken aback when he said my name. **_"Yes, I know your name"_** the voice continued. **_"I also know that you are the one that killed our wretched "queen," Airachnid, you are friends with that human, and that large, green bot..."_**

**"****Ssshut up!"** I hissed. The voice didn't even register my outburst.

**_"_****_...You also got stung by a wasp, just today. Little do you know of how your "friends" will treat you in a little while..."_**

**"****You... You ssshut up now, you piece of scrap!"** I screamed at him after it said its last comment.

**_"_****_Ah, now I see why you can hear me"_** the voice said again. **_"That sting has allowed your instincts to take over more..."_**

**"****Who in Primus are you?" **I asked in an angry tone.

**_"_****_I... I have gone by a few names when I was in the hive... But now that the hive is gone, you can call me Sharpshot" _**the voice said.

**"****Where are you, "Sharpshot?""** I asked him. **_"I know where I lay, but in both our current states, I'd rather not tell you yet"_** he answered back, almost smug-sounding.

**"****I'll find you, Sharpshot, shot, shot..." **I vowed. **"I will find you..."**

I could feel light shining on my optics as I opened them. I quickly realized I was in the all-too-familiar environment of Ratchet and Knock Out's lab.

**"****Thisss... Needs to stop happening" **I murmured as I tried to sit up. I didn't move.

I looked around and saw I was being held down by by constraints clamped around my wrists and legs. I effortlessly broke out of them by kicking my legs and pulling my arms up.

I got up from the stretcher I was on, and stumbled toward the exit, rubbing my head with my servo. Before I activated the door, I heard voices coming from the other side, so I put my audio receptor to the door.

**"****...Are you guys sure that that's what happened?" **Wheeljack's voice asked. **"Yes, we're sure"** Bulkhead's voice answered. **"I still even have the stinger!"** I could barely hear Miko's voice say.

_What are they talking about? _I thought to myself. _Stinger... Is this about what happened yesterday?_ I stopped thinking and listened further.

**"****Of course this had to happen..."** I heard Ratchet's voice groan **"Of COURSE this had to happen!"**

**"****Is there a way to reverse the effects?"** Arcee's concerned-sounding voice cut in. **"No"** Knock Out's responded. **"We tried to find a way to fix it, but there's nothing we can do!"**

**"****So you're both saying this he could mutate any cycle now?" **Bumblebee's voice said. **"Yes"** Ratchet responded, glumly.** "...And judging by how rapid his genetic makeup is changing, he could very well turn into something nobody can control."**

I heard enough. I opened the door, and looked out, seeing each bot outside it swerving their heads to me in surprise.

**"****K-Kickback?"** Ratchet stuttered. **"H-how much of that did you hear?"** He asked.

**"****A lot..."** I replied in a muffled tone, suppressing my anger as best I could. **"Now, listen, let ****_me_**** explain..."** Knock Out began. **"First off, we found that your CNA was dangerously unstable, which is, uh, the reason we called you down last night..."**

I tried to calm myself.** "What... What am I turning into THIS time, time, time?"** I asked. **"Well... We're not sure" **Ratchet replied.** "The change could be extremely minor, or it could be... Tremendous."**

**"****We just don't have the technology to fix this kind of thing!" **Knock Out said again. ** "The only bot I ever knew who excelled in this kind of field was Shockwave, but considering his allegiances, I don't think he'd really want to help."**

**"****None of us even know where he is!"** I cried out, clasping my head with my servos. **"Why me? Why? Why? Why?"** I despaired, turning and walking back into the lab, kicking a cupboard as I passed it.

I swept a servo across a nearby desk, shattering and scattering small pieces of lab equipment as I let out a roar of anger.

**"****I... Needed that..."** Ratchet muttered as I continued my small rampage. **"Kickback, calm down! Don't let it control you!" **Bulkhead shouted. His words snapped me out of my stupor as I turned and looked at him.

**"****What am I sssupposed to do?" **I said back at him. **"I'm going to mutate again at any cycle now, and there's nothing we can do to stop it!"**

Suddenly, a red light shown throughout the base, followed by a buzzing noise.

**"****Oh, now what?" **I asked. **"The communications system!" **Ratchet answered, immediately turning and running toward the groundbridge. My plight temporarily forgotten, they all turned and followed Ratchet.

**"****What about me?"** I moaned. Bulkhead stopped running and looked at me. **"When it's like that, it's a signal from the Cons"** he answered before continuing his run to rejoin them.

**"****Oh"** I said to myself. **"Wait for me!"** I yelled as I, too, began running.

* * *

><p>I approached where the others were listening in, and I saw Ratchet press a device on the computer board. An image of Starscream appeared on the screen above it.<p>

**"****Hello, Autobots"** he said in his usual, conniving tone. **"What do you want, Scream?"** Arcee asked.

**"****The answer is very simple, actually" **he said again, smile creeping onto his face. **"I recently caught wind of a new member in your little group, Tailslide, was he?"**

**"****Not anymore"** I said. He turned his head to me. **"It's Kickback now."**

**"****Whatever..."** He replied. **"The point I'm getting to, is that I'm seeking a little... "Exhange.""**

**"****Heh. For what?" **Ratchet asked. Starscream smirked. **"Why, for this little snoop I found trying to get to you, of course!"** He said, shifting the camera to focus on a blue-and-white bot, on his knees, next to him, stasis cuffs around his arms.

Upon closer inspection, the bot looked like bumblebee, with the exception of his head, and he looked dented and burnt in some parts.

**"****M-Mirage?" **Ratchet stuttered. **"How in Primus..."**

**"****...Did I catch him?" **Starscream finished for him. **"The answer's quite simple, really. Soundwave heard a transmission between you and your little "covert-operations" specialist here, and we decided to give him our own form of greeting."**

**"****You..." **Ratchet began, anger swelling up in his voice.

**"****I'm sending you the coordinates of where I want to meet"** Starscream continued. **"Be there in ten cycles, or you this will be the last you see of... "Mirage" online" **He said, threateningly.

**"****Don't... Do it"** Mirage's damaged body managed to whisper just before the transmission ended.

Silence erupted through the room as we all stared at the blank screen. Slowly but surely, everyone in the room began looking at me.

**"****Kickback?..."** Miko began, looking up at me. **"Don't worry, we'll think of-"**

**"****Trade me"** I said, cutting her off.

**"****What?"** Bulkhead, Ratchet, and Arcee said in unison. **"I sssaid... Trade me"** I demanded again.** "I know I'm going to mutate into something beyond anyone's power, ssso either way, I'm ssscrewed."**

**"****Now listen..."** Knock Out said **"We still aren't sure what the extent of it will be, for all we know, you'll just grow another foot."**

**"****We don't even have time to form a plan, plan, plan"** I replied. My left servo morphed into its blaster form and I placed the tip of the barrel on the temple of my head. Everyone near me took a step back in surprise.

**"****Either you trade me to them, or I'll off myself, here and now, and you'll never see Mirage again"** I said, twitching nervously, mandibles chittering as though I had lost my mind.

**"****Kickback, what are you doing?"** Arcee shouted.** "The right thing"** I said. She and Bulkhead slowly approached me, but when they got too close, a loud humming sound came from my blaster.

**"****Sssafety's off!" **I exclaimed. **"Any closer, and there will be no options at all, all, all!"**


	8. Chapter 8: The Trade

Chapter 8: The Trade

**"****Think about what you're doing!" **Bulkhead yelled. **"I tried thinking..."** I started to say. **"Thinking got me here in the first place. Thinking got me into this form... I'm not going to think anymore! I'm acting!"**

**"****The mutation is beginning to affect his processor" **Knock Out said. **"I think he really means it."**

**"****Ratchet..."** I began. **"We both know thisss is the only way. Open the groundbridge."**

**"****No" **he replied. **"We need to make a plan. We can save both of you! Just give us some time to make a plan..."**

**"****Time is sssomething we don't have!"** I shouted. **"Lassst I checked, Starssscream sent that message four nano-kliks ago. we only have sssix left!"**

I looked to my left and saw Bumblebee trying to sneak up on me. I shot him a glare and snapped the pincers on my back, threateningly. He backed off.

Ratchet sighed, closed his optics and placed his face in his servo.** "Can we at least... Can we at least place a tracking device on you?"** He asked, raising his head again. **"If you agree with me, then fine, fine, fine" **I replied.

He ran to his lab and returned instantly, carrying a small device that I could barely see sticking from the edge of one of his digits.

**"****Put this in a place they won't look"** he advised when he handed it to me. Upon close inspection, I noticed that the device looked square in shape. I placed it on my back, where it magnetically attached to an area between my servos.

**"****Thanksss"** I said in return. **"Now... Open the groundbridge"**

**"****You do know we can still think of other options"** Arcee said as I lowered my blaster from my head. **"I know... But I don't want them"** I replied.** "It's time I thought for myself and the group around here, and consssidering what may happen to me, thisss may be my lassst chance."**

**"****That's not true"** Ratchet said as he inputted the coordinates into the groundbridge. **"We can save you! We just need time to find out how!"**

**"****That's not true, true, true"** I snapped as the portal opened. **"...And you know it. Now, let's forget about me, and go save Mirage. You can save me, later, on their ship."**

I ran headfirst into the portal, before the others could, and soon found myself in the middle of a large grassland, under a dark, early morning sky. As I heard the others follow through, I looked ahead and saw many, dark shapes, one of which was bigger than the rest.

Lugnut.

**"****At last"** he growled in his deep, grave voice, turning to us as the last of us exited the portal, before it closed. It was just me, Arcee, Bulkhead, and Knock Out facing off against nearly two-dozen Vehicons and Lugnut.

**"****I see you've come, abomination"** he said again as all our optics met. **"And as per our agreement..."** He began as he turned to the Vehicons. **"...Bring out the prisoner."**

As he said that, the Vehicons parted, revealing Mirage's blue-and-white body, bound with stasis cuffs, and blindfolded with a crude metal sheet wrapped around his optics.

Two Vehicons dragged him off his knees with a grunt, and brought him to the center area of the field, dropping him in a heap. Lugnut calmly walked up to his body and took off the sheet around his blue optics.

He looked around wildly until he saw us, letting out a sigh. **"H-hey..."** He muttered weakly in our direction.

**"****Now... You!"** Lugnut exclaimed, pointing to me. I turned my servo into a fist and started to walk forward. Bulkhead followed.

**"****Well..." **I started as I approached the behemoth. **"Here I am. Give Mirage to them, and I'll come quietly." **

**"****No tricks?"** He asked. **"No tricks, tricks, tricks"** I lied, thinking of the tracking device on my back.

He effortlessly lifted Mirage's moaning body up and threw him at Bulkhead like a rock, who barely had time to react before he slammed into him with a groan, sending Bulkhead stumbling back a few feet.

**"****You're mine now"** He suddenly said as he reached his servo down and grabbed my arm. I didn't resist when he slapped a pair of stasis cuffs on both of them, though I did cringe at how unimaginably tight he made them.

**"****Looksss like sssomebody woke up on the wrong ssside of the bed"** I muttered as he began to lead me away. **"Quiet!"** he shouted as he smacked my head.

I looked back and saw my friends help Mirage, Knock Out helping him through a rapidly-opening portal.

If I had a proper mouth, I'd be smiling, but the feeling faded as soon as Lugnut spoke again.

**"****Now that we've finished our business... Decepticons, ****_kill them all_****"**

As soon as he said that, each Vehicon aimed and fired at my friends, just as the portal was closing.

**"****No!"** I shouted as they began to defend themselves. I watched in horror when the shots fired on both sides, countless Vehicons falling, and countless blaster shots hitting my friends.

A portal opened ahead of me and Lugnut. **"In you go"** he said as he pushed me toward it. I turned back, and in rage, kicked him in the knee. He let out a cry of surprise and staggered for a moment while I tried to run, but he grabbed hold of my leg as I passed him.

**"****Heh... You're not getting away from me that easy, freak"** he said as he began to lift me up. Before I could react, he flung me into the portal, and the last thing I saw before my screaming body went through it was the fight continuing.

* * *

><p>I flew through the portal into the destination, and landed on the ground, my body screeching to a grinding halt as I landed on the metal ground.<p>

I got onto my legs with a groan as I lifted myself up. I heard the portal behind me close, and when I turned, I saw the large shape of Lugnut approaching me, his single optic staring at me, menacingly. As I turned to run, he grabbed me by the scruff of my neck, and began dragging me down the hall while I tried to grapple with his servo.

**"****I've waited a long time for this"** he mused as we continued on. **"And now, I'm not just going to enjoy watching your spark get extinguished... I'm going to watch it get dissected like the bug you are."**

I saw a door ahead of us open up, and Lugnut threw me in its dark room with a thud. I lifted my head up and saw a purple figure standing above me.

Shockwave stared down at me, arm cannon aimed, before he slowly lowered it, and looked toward Lugnut. **"I take it that your exchange went over as planned" **he said to the behemoth. **"Yes it did..." **Lugnut said as he walked up to me.** "For once I can finally power down, and actually stay that way. Show me the footage of this... ****_Thing's_**** demise when I awake."**

**"****He will be gone by this afternoon"** Shockwave said as he looked back down to me. **"Strap him onto this examination table, and you can be dismissed."**

Lugnut did so, smile on his face, grabbing me and not-so-gently placing me on the table, taking off my stasis cuffs, and stretching my arms out, despite my attempts to thwart him. Shockwave activated a button, and beams of energy flew out and wrapped around my limbs and waist, holding my grunting body in place.

**"****You're all monsters... Kickback know you all monsters!"** I yelled, then stopped talking when I realized my speech pattern changed. _What was that? Why do I sound funny?_ I wondered.

**"****It even speaks wrong"** Lugnut said as he turned away. **"Have fun, doctor" **he said a final time before exiting the room. Shockwave brought out a needle and walked up to me.

**"****Your mutation really is fascinating" **he said as I struggled with my bonds. **"Nothing like it has ever been cataloged by science. I am privileged to be the first. You should too."**

I spat in his face when he got close to me. He merely wiped the green energon stain off his single, large optic, not even registering the level of insult I just performed. I continued to struggle.

**"****I do not blame your resistance"** he said as he inspected the needle. **"It is a common thing most of my experiments and test subjects do, but I'll have you know, nothing has broken those bonds before."**

As he finished talking, I saw and felt him stick the needle into my arm, and dark green energon seeped into its tube. I tried to grab at him with the servos on my back, but he was way out of reach. I growled in frustration and anger.

**"****Interesting..."** He said in a hushed voice as he examined the tube's contents. He walked over to a machine and drained the energon into a funnel connecting to it. Nano-kliks later, paper began to print out of it, and Shockwave grabbed the results, reading them intensely.

**"****Very strange... Your CNA readings have become significantly different since we last met... It appears that you're mutating again" **he said as he fixed his gaze back at me. **"Kickback not care. Kickback get out and destroy you"** I threatened as he picked up a vial of blue liquid and placed it inside the chamber of the same needle he just used.

**"****If I'm going to have a look inside you, it would be best if you weren't conscious" **Shockwave said again as he pointed the needle's tip in my direction. He began to walk up to me, but suddenly stopped and placed the device down, raising his servo to his intercom.

**"****What?"** He asked into it. **"A bridge portal, here? That's highly illogical... Unless..." **He looked back at me. **"What's happening?"** I asked. **"It's none of your concern"** he said.

He focused back to the bot on the other end of his intercom. **"Tell Starscream that I believe that the test subject has brought a tracking device on board with him" **Shockwave said again, heading toward the door. "**I'll be right up."**

He turned one last time to me.** "I appear to have other matters to attend to, and will be back in a while. Enjoy your stay of execution while it lasts."**

He then headed out the door, and it closed behind him, leaving me alone once again, looking around desperately for a way to escape.


	9. Chapter 9: Rebirth

Chapter 9: Rebirth

I continued to struggle with the energon chains wrapped around my servos and legs. _Must... Get... Free... _Was all I thought as vicious, primal urges began to gnaw at my mind and body.

I could feel something was wrong as my limbs began to feel both unimaginably numb, and hot, like somebody had lit the energon in my fuel lines on fire.

**"****What is happening to Kickback?"** I screamed as the rest of my body began to follow in my arm's and leg's agony. Dark, green liquid, which I could only assume to be my own lifeblood, began to ooze out of every joint in my entire body.

My left arm began to bend and snap in ways it was not meant to, making me cry out in pain. Just as my other arm started to do so as well, I realized, through my strained vision, that this pain had somehow given me the strength to break my bonds, as I noticed my left arm had broken free, and began to flail around, almost uncontrollably in the air, throwing energon around my already stained body, and the room.

through either the force of sheer will, or survival, I navigated my servo to the other band around my other servo, tearing it off like a piece of paper.

I groaned as I then focused my addled mind to the ones around my legs, quickly ripping them off, and moving my bottommost limbs to the ground, off the table I was on, as soon as I had done so.

I tried to stand on my legs, but the nano-klik I did, I collapsed to the ground, headfirst, sending vivid flashing colors through my sight as I tried to regain my footing.

The farthest I could get was onto my knees, but then I was hit by a much weirder feeling, as if I was wearing armor that didn't fit.

**"****Zzzz..."** I burbled groggily as I, instinctively, stuck my fingers into the cracks opening up on the crown of my head, energon flooding out of them like an open wound, antennas hanging lifelessly from the side.

I pulled. I pulled as hard as I could with what remained of my strength, as my vision blurred. I pulled the cracks apart, in two, creating a large fissure out of the outer shell that was once my head, that soon extended to my back and chest. With a final grunt, groan, and buzz, I felt the shell give way, and a sudden feeling of my body splitting in two, followed by a cold feeling of the air on my new, wet, energon-covered body.

I cried out in utter relief, one last time, before my aching body fell to the ground with a sickly splat. I began to lose consciousness in the wake of the experience, and I could feel myself drifting into sleep as my optics closed.

* * *

><p>I woke up what felt like nano-kliks later. I was on the ground, and something felt extraordinarily... <em>different<em>. **"What... Where...?" **I began as I looked around the unknown, albeit, very familiar environment I was in.

Everything looked a different color. I could see fine, but for some reason, everything I saw looked slightly purple.** "Where... Iz... Kickback?"** I said to myself as I rubbed the back of my head, and slowly got up onto my legs.

**"****How Kickback get here?"** I asked myself, confusion enveloping my mind like a thick fog. All I could remember were two, large, one-eyed bots, and the pain I had just experienced.

I looked at my servo, and my optics widened in shock. What I clearly remembered once being a five-fingered servo, was now a large, three-fingered one. I quickly walked over to a nearby desk with a glass panel on it, and looked into it.

I saw my reflection, and it nearly startled me. My head now clearly had two, small, yellow antenna sticking out of the middle of it, and there were two, large, purple optics below them. I began to open my mouth, and I saw two, large mandibles part ways, showing off a mouthful of needle-sharp teeth.

I turned my body around and looked at my back. I now had thin, membranous wings on my slightly hunched back, and there was a large, black-and-green, striped, insect-esque abdomen.

I backed away at the sight, and looked at the closed door next to me. **"How Kickback ezzzcape from here?"** I nervously asked myself when I realized the door was locked. I hit it with my servo in frustration, not expecting anything to happen, when suddenly I felt little resistance as it made a hole.

I stared at my the hole my fist made, with a mix of surprise and joy. "Kickback... Not like Kickback anymore..." I slowly began to say as I began to rip more pieces of the door apart.

**"****Kickback look like wazzzp"** I buzzed, thinking of my appearence. **"And Kickback also like... Like ****_Terminator_****..."** I said again, in glee, thinking back to that movie I distinctly remember seeing.

**"****Kickback iz... Iz... ****_Wazpinator_****!" **I shouted as I finished tearing the door down, laughing to myself.

I turned my head left and right, and saw two directions I could head down. I turned to the right one and made a dash down it, only to slam into something that felt like a wall, knocking me to the ground.

**"****You!" **A familiar voice shouted, as I felt a servo grab my arm and lift me up. I tried to wriggle out of the titanic grip, and saw in horror that it was Lugnut

**"****You... Look different" **Lugnut growled as he held me up. I clawed at him and he immediately dropped me. He kicked me before I could get a good footing, punting me dozens of meters back where I landed on the ground.

**"****I was wrong to let Shockwave kill you slowly..."** He began as I reared up to my full height, which to say was only about half of his.

**"****...So I'll have to kill you now!"** He shouted as he charged at me. Raising his arm to smash his fist into me, I dodged by jumping back, and, wings buzzing, I flew over him before he could react.

As I landed on the ground, he turned to me, his single optic glowing red in rage.

**"****After I'm done with you, I can't wait to see the looks on your filthy Autobot friend's faces when I show them your head, before I destroy them too" **he said, a small chuckle escaping from his jaw.

I could feel my expression changed from one of worry, to anger.** "You... You think you can hurt Wazpinator's friends?"** I shouted. **"Then... Wazpinator hurt ****_you!_****"**

I could feel my T-cog shift as I transformed, a new feeling overtaking me as it completed. My vision became more acute, and I noticed that Lugnut appeared to glow orange, as if I was using thermal vision. I felt something shift out of my abdomen, and I saw it was a long, barbed stinger, dripping a clear, liquid poison most foul.

**"****Wazpinator hurt you!" **I screamed again as I flew to him, stinger raised and ready to impale him.


	10. Epilogue

Epilogue

Bulkhead, Arcee, and Bumblebee ran through the corridors of the Decepticon warship, checking each room for their lost friend, and blasting any Vehicons they saw.

**"****Where in Primus could he be?"** Bulkhead asked worriedly as he saw nothing in the next room. **"Just keep looking!"** Arcee shouted as she continued forward, blasters aimed at the ready.

Suddenly, a device held in Bumblebee's servo began to beep rapidly, pointing them in a direction.

**"****His tracking device came back on! He's this way!"** Bumblebee exclaimed, pointing down the hall.

A few minutes later they came upon a ruined, broken door, barely covering the doorway it was attached to, pieces of it strewn in random places. Bumblebee's device pointed to the room, and Arcee instantly ran into it, blasters out.

**"****Kickback, we... Oh no"** Bumblee stuttered as he looked in for himself, seeing the dreadful sight he feared. Lying in the middle of the floor, in a large, sticky puddle of dark green energon, was a pale, green, torn up body, laying in two distinct halves, clearly belonging to Kickback.

**"****We were... Too late..."** Arcee groaned, turning around, and kicking a nearby desk in rage as Bumblebee, curious, leaned in for a closer look.

Bulkhead, standing just outside of the room, lowered his head in sorrow and turned away, as he started to walk down the hall.

**"****Hey... Arcee, I think you should come see this"** Bumblebee said as he inspected the body.** "What is it? What did you find?"** She asked. **"Look at the inside of his body" **He motioned. **"Last I checked, both Insecticons, and normal bots had inside parts, and didn't look hollowed-out. He doesn't even have a single wire in there!"**

**"****You're right..." **Arcee agreed as she got a good look at one of the empty halves. **"It's like... An empty shell."**

**"****Remember when Ratchet and Knock Out said that he was going to mutate again?"** Bumblebee asked. **"I think that might have been what happened here."**

**"****Uh... Guys?" **Bulkhead shouted from the hall. **"What is it?" **Arcee asked as she ran out to him. **"More Cons?"**

**"****I'm... Not sure you could say that, exactly..."** Bulkhead replied, scratching his head. In front of him lied the large, purple-and-green mass of what he and Arcee soon recognized as Lugnut. He was on his back, completely motionless, save for the occasional twitch, and his singular optic was wide open, staring blankly at the ceiling.

**"****Is he... Deactivated?"** Arcee began. **"No, I don't think so"** Bulkhead said as Bumblebee joined up with them. **"Who did this?"** Bulkhead asked, lifting up, and dropping Lugnut's paralyzed arm.

**"****Your guess is as good as mine, but whoever did, probably used whatever it took to to make ****_that_****"** Arcee said, pointing to a small, deep hole in his chest.

**"****Wow, that's small" **Bulkhead said, noting its size. **"It looks like it was made by something needle-sharp, like a spear, or a syringe, or a... A..."**

**"****...Or a stinger"** Bumblebee finished.** "Guys, I think Kickback did this"** he said again.

**"****Wait, you think Kickback did this? Really?" **Bulkhead asked.** "Who else could've done it" **Bumblebee countered. **"He might have mutated into something that could do it."**

**"****Should we try to pursue him?" **Bulkhead asked.** "No... It would be too dangerous"** Arcee said, looking down the hall. **"There will no doubt be more Decepticons the further we continue in, and considering Kickback is out and running around, he could be anywhere on this ship right now. It would take pure luck to find him on this giant flying maze."**

**"****Do you think he'll be okay?"** Bumblebee asked, worriedly. **"I think he will" **Arcee replied. **"If he took down Lugnut here, he can probably defend himself enough to get off the ship in one piece."**

**"****I'll get ahold of Ratchet" **Bumblebee said as he pressed his servo to his intercom.

* * *

><p>A large, green, wasp-like robot flew threw the air, departing the Decepticon ship in a clumsy haste. It continued to fly through the blue sky, as if it didn't know where it was going.<p>

**"****Why Wazpinator not remember anything?"** It asked itself. **"All Wazpinator remember iz blue fembot... Wazpinator know there were others! Why Wazpinator not remember!"**

He began to scratch and knock at his head with his two main arms in frustrated fashion, until a voice came on in his head.

**_"_****_Waspinator, can you hear me?"_** It asked him. **"Wha-? Who... Who talk to Wazpinator?"** he asked, looking around wildly. **_"Calm yourself, brother. I am talking to you from inside your head" _**the voice said.

**_"_****_I am Sharpshot. Do you remember me?" _**the voice asked again.** "N-no, Wazpinator think name sound familiar, but Wazpinator not know you"** Waspinator replied.

**_"_****_I am a brother of yours... A friend"_** Sharpshot continued. **_"One you have not met in... A long time."_**

**"****Where are you?"** Waspinator asked, eagerly. **_"I'll tell you"_** Sharpshot replied. **_"I'm inside of a cave, a few hundred miles from here..."_**

* * *

><p><strong>"<strong>**Your condition is stable, and it looks like you'll pull through"** Ratchet told Mirage as he lowered his sensor, in the confinement of the lab. **"The damage isn't too bad, but I do recommend a serious look at repainting if you you want your finish to survive"** Knock Out chuckled as he looked through his tools nearby.

**"****Heh... Th-thanks, you guys"** Mirage answered back, wearily, looking at the two doctors. **"That ambush... The Decepticons came out of nowhere... They killed the crew, took ****_me _****hostage... I tried to defend myself..."**

**"****Listen, it's okay, you're safe now" **Ratchet said calmly. **"It's not your fault."**

Knock Out reached down on a nearby table and looked at the two swords that rested on it. **"What are these, exactly?"** He asked as he picked one up and examined its blade. **"They came off of you when you arrived here. They look master-crafted... Finer than any other swords I've seen... Even Wheeljack's."**

Wheeljack snapped his gaze across the room and glared at Knock Out. **"Hmph" **He huffed. **"Just cause they look pretty, doesn't mean that makes them more efficient."**

Mirage looked at Wheeljack, blue optics partially closed, in a sly way. **"Those "blades" were hand-crafted by Bludgeon... My teacher, and master"** he said, smiling.

Ratchet and Wheeljack blinked. **"Wait..."** Wheeljack began. **"Do you mean THE Bludgeon? One of the greatest sword masters and sword makers of Cybertron?"**

**"****The creator and master of the art of Metallikato?"** Ratchet gasped **"THAT Bludgeon?" "The one and only"** Mirage answered, smiling.

**"****Eh... Who's Bludgeon?"** Knock Out asked, placing the sword back down gently, and rubbing his head. **"I'll tell you all about him!" **Wheeljack replied, jovially, as he placed his servo on his shoulder.

**"****Have you ever heard of the martial arts of Circuit-Su, Tekkaido, or Crystalocution?" **He asked as they went out the door.** "Metallikato is like them, but centered around blades, and extremely potent to your enemies. It was Master Bludgeon's claim to fame when he created the art in..."**

The door closed behind them as Wheeljack gave his history lesson to Knock Out. Ratchet chuckled lightly and Mirage kept smiling, shaking his his head as it happened. **"Are those two always like that?"** Mirage asked, curiously.

**"****Not really, no" **Ratchet replied, looking through his items as his laughter died down. **"Wheeljack normally acts like that around Bulkhead, but I guess he can't resist an opportunity to tell a history lesson about something he likes."**

**"****What are you looking for?"** Mirage asked again. **"My vibro-drill. I haven't used it in quite a few months, but I know it couldn't have gone far"** he said, looking through cupboards. **"Maybe it's near the groundbridge... I'll be right back"** he said as he headed to the door.

**"****Hey... Ratchet, can I ask you something before you go?"** Mirage asked, making Ratchet stop. **"What is it?"** Ratchet said in return, turning to Mirage.

**"****Who was that small green bot that traded himself for me? Was he a Decepticon?" **Mirage asked. **"He was, once. But he switched sides, and was a good friend, if not... If not a brave one at that" **Ratchet replied, lowering his head.

**"****Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a drill to find" **he said again, straightening himself out, and heading out the door, leaving Mirage alone.

After sitting quietly for a few seconds, Mirage looked around the silent room for any potential listeners, and lifted his servo up and pressed down on the intercom on the side of his head.

**"****Phase-Out to Starscream, come in Starscream" **he whispered into it. **"****_Phase-Out? Is that you_****?"** The static-filled voice of Starscream answered. **"Yes, it's me"** Mirage replied. **_"Are you in their base?" _**Starscream asked again. **"I am" **Mirage said. **"And the Autobots don't suspect a thing."**

**_"_****_Ah... Best news I've heard today"_** Starscream hissed on his end. **_"For our final debriefing, remember this: Spend a while attempting to earn their trust. Don't tell me where their base is yet, we have... Some soldiers who are a lot more zealous than we can control. They could give away our plans."_**

**"****Anything else, my lord?"** Mirage asked again. **_"There are two things" _**Starscream said again.**_ "First, you can't use this line again, the Autobots may track it, so try using Ratchet's computer to contact me."_**

**"****And the other thing?"** Mirage asked once again. **_"The other thing... Learn about the Autobot's plans, and only then, report to me when no-one is looking. They won't see what traps we'll have waiting for them."_**

**"Is that all?"** Mirage asked again.

**_"Just remember to stick to the plan, and don't be afraid to execute anyone who you think has found out about you"_ **Starscream said one last time.

**"****With pleasure" **Mirage replied with a smirk for the final time before the communication ended.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's notes:<strong> And so ends the tale of Kickback, leaving quite a bit more questions than answers. Do not be disappointed, however, for another story to continue this saga is already in the making. Stay tuned, my friends, for story four!


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